Chief advisor announces formation of six reform commissions

Six prominent citizens appointed to lead commissions on election, police, judiciary, anti-corruption, public administration, and constitutional reforms

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has announced the formation of six commissions to drive state reform initiatives in the aftermath of the recent political transition.

These commissions will focus on election management, police administration, judiciary, the Anti-Corruption Commission, public administration, and constitutional reforms.

The interim prime minister has appointed six distinguished citizens to head the respective commissions for these sectors.

In a televised address to the nation on Wednesday evening, marking one month since taking office as the interim government's chief advisor, Yunus said the full commissions would be constituted within the current month and would formally commence their work on Oct 1, aiming to complete the tasks within the next three months.

“Based on the commission reports, the government will hold consultations with relevant stakeholders to finalise the reform framework. This framework will also provide an understanding of how these reforms will be implemented,” he said.

The heads of the reform commissions are Badiul Alam Majumder for electoral reform, Safar Raj Hossain for police administration, former justice of the Appellate Division Shah Abu Naeem Mominur Rahman for the judiciary, Iftekhar Zaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh, for the Anti-Corruption Commission, Chairman of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and former caretaker government advisor Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury for public administration and Supreme Court lawyer Shahdeen Malik for constitutional reform.

In his 33-minute address, the chief advisor said: “To prevent the recurrence of fascism or autocratic rule in Bangladesh, and to establish a welfare-oriented state devoted to public interest and ownership, some national reforms are urgently needed. The central focus of these reforms is to establish a fair electoral process and good governance.”

“We believe in the people's right to vote and their ownership of the state. Therefore, electoral reform is a priority in our reform agenda.

“We are of the view that imposing majority rule and misgovernance in the name of elections, or concentrating all power in the hands of an individual, a family, or a group, is not acceptable. To prevent such threats, we are considering reforms of the Election Commission and other related institutions,” Yunus added.

He stressed that reforms in key institutions linked to the electoral process—such as the police administration, public administration, judiciary, and Anti-Corruption Commission—are essential for free and fair elections.

"I believe these reforms will also contribute to establishing a state based on public ownership, accountability, and welfare," he said.

Yunus also underscored the need for constitutional reforms to ensure the representation and interests of people from all levels of society and to reflect the spirit of the July uprising.